Clementine Churchill

Clementine Churchill (born April 1, 1885, London, England—died December 12, 1977, London) was an English aristocrat and philanthropist and the wife of famed English statesman Winston Churchill. Clementine Churchill was renowned for her support and advising of her husband during his political career, particularly during World War II. In his autobiography, Winston Churchill wrote of his wife, “My marriage was the most fortunate and joyous event which happened to me in the whole of my life, for what can be more glorious than to be united in one’s walk through life with a being incapable of an ignoble thought.”

Early life

Clementine Churchill was born Clementine Ogilvy Hozier, the second daughter of Col. Henry Montague Hozier and Henrietta Blanche Hozier (née Ogilvy), the daughter of an earl. Both parents were known to have been unfaithful to one another, and scholars believe that Colonel Hozier was unlikely to have been the father of Clementine Hozier, her elder sister, Katharine (“Kitty”) Hozier, or her younger siblings, twins Bill and Nellie Hozier.

In 1891 Colonel Hozier and Blanche Hozier separated, and in ensuing years, the children became part of their parents’ bitter arguments over care and custody. Clementine Hozier’s fairly happy childhood became unstable, as she and her elder sister went from the care of their father, to their governess, Rosa Stevenson, to a boarding school in Edinburgh. Eventually, the two rejoined their mother and the twins. Their father, however, refused to assist financially, and Hozier’s mother was largely dependent on the help of her relatives, who had little extra means themselves. Due to financial necessity, Hozier’s mother moved her four children every few months from one lodging to another.

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Death of Kitty Hozier and return to England

At the turn of the century, while the family was living in Dieppe, on the northern coast of France, Kitty Hozier contracted typhoid fever and died a couple of months shy of her 17th birthday. Her grieving mother, who had never hidden her preference for her eldest daughter, moved her three surviving children to Berkhamsted, in Hertfordshire, England. Clementine Hozier and her younger sister attended Berkhamsted High School for Girls, while Hozier’s brother was enrolled in Berkhamsted Grammar School for Boys. Hozier thrived, excelling in her studies—though she struggled in math—and enthusiastically participating in school functions. Her progressive headmistress, Beatrice Harris, recognized Hozier as an exceptional pupil, and though it was rare then for women to pursue a college degree, encouraged her to attend university. Hozier’s mother, however, wanted her daughter to gain wealth and standing through marriage. In subsequent years, Hozier received many proposals and was engaged three times.

Meeting Winston Churchill

In 1908 Hozier reluctantly accepted a last-minute invitation to a dinner party, where Winston Churchill, who had also dragged his feet to attend the event, was seated next to her. Though the two had met four years earlier at a ball, the meeting had been brief and unremarkable. Churchill, by 1908, was about to become a member of the cabinet as president of the Board of Trade, having already gained a considerable foothold in society as a soldier in the military, a published author, and a Conservative Unionist member of Parliament. That evening Hozier and Churchill held a long and animated conversation, connecting intellectually and emotionally. They began exchanging letters and were married several months later, with Hozier taking Churchill’s name.

Early marriage

The couple settled in Eccleston Square, London, and Clementine Churchill soon gave birth to their eldest daughter, Diana (born 1909), and son Randolph (born 1911). After suffering a miscarriage in 1912, Churchill had two more daughters, Sarah (born 1914) and Marigold (born 1918). Marigold, however, died of septicemia before she was age three. The Churchills’ fifth child, Mary, was born the year after Marigold’s death. Churchill later acknowledged that she had spent little time with her children, dedicated as she was to her husband’s political efforts. She often looked over his drafts for speeches and campaigned for his causes. Outwardly, she was his most ardent supporter, but their marriage had tensions over a number of issues, including long separations, different political views, and his lavish spending. The latter of which was exemplified by his purchase in 1922 of Chartwell Manor, a country home in Kent, without consulting her.

Accomplishments during the World Wars

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During World War I Churchill was constantly involved in politics and charity work, including organizing canteens for munitions workers in London. In 1918 she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her efforts. Between the World Wars, Churchill managed two houses, servants, the support of her husband, and the care of their children. By the time her husband took the seat as wartime prime minister in 1940, three of their surviving children had married (one had also divorced). As the wife of the prime minister, Churchill supported her husband throughout the war effort, acting as his confidant and adviser as well assisting in diplomatic affairs. She also served as the president of the Young Women’s Christian Association War Time Appeal and the chairperson of the Maternity Hospital for the Wives of Officers. The most famous of her many philanthropies was her serving as chair of the Red Cross Aid to Russia Fund. The charity sent a well-timed donation of clothing and medical supplies to the Soviet Union just as relations between that country and Europe became strained. The generosity of the British people was so well received that Churchill was invited to the U.S.S.R. by the Soviet government to see the effects of her charity work and to receive the Order of the Red Banner of Labour. In England she was appointed (1946) Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in the victory honors list.

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After World War II and later life

By the time Winston Churchill resigned as prime minister in 1945, Clementine Churchill had become a public figure much admired by her fellow Britons. Although she was opposed to her husband’s retaking the seat of prime minster, he nonetheless won his bid in 1951. His failing health forced him to retire in 1955, but he continued as a member of Parliament until 1964, a year before his death. Chartwell Manor was donated to the public trust per his wishes, and Clementine Churchill was made a life peer as the Baroness Spencer-Churchill of Chartwell. She died of a heart attack at age 92. She was buried alongside her husband at Bladon, near Blenheim Palace, where he was born, and two of her children, Diana (died aged 54 in 1963 of an overdose of sleeping pills) and Randolph (died aged 57 in 1968 of cirrhosis of the liver).